Intercellular transfer of cancer cell invasiveness via endosome-mediated protease shedding.

Overexpression of the transmembrane matrix metalloproteinase MT1-MMP/MMP14 promotes cancer cell invasion. Here we show that MT1-MMP-positive cancer cells turn MT1-MMP-negative cells invasive by transferring a soluble catalytic ectodomain of MT1-MMP. Surprisingly, this effect depends on the presence of TKS4 and TKS5 in the donor cell, adaptor proteins previously implicated in invadopodia formation. In endosomes of the donor cell, TKS4/5 promote ADAM-mediated cleavage of MT1-MMP by bridging the two proteases, and cleavage is stimulated by the low intraluminal pH of endosomes. The bridging depends on the PX domains of TKS4/5, which coincidently interact with the cytosolic tail of MT1-MMP and endosomal phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate. MT1-MMP recruits TKS4/5 into multivesicular endosomes for their subsequent co-secretion in extracellular vesicles, together with the enzymatically active ectodomain. The shed ectodomain converts non-invasive recipient cells into an invasive phenotype. Thus, TKS4/5 promote intercellular transfer of cancer cell invasiveness by facilitating ADAM-mediated shedding of MT1-MMP in acidic endosomes.

Protrudin-mediated ER-endosome contact sites promote phagocytosis.

During phagocytosis, endosomes both contribute with membrane to forming phagosomes and promote phagosome maturation. However, how these vesicles are delivered to the phagocytic cup and the phagosome has been unknown. Here, we show that Protrudin-mediated endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-endosome contact sites facilitate anterograde translocation of FYCO1 and VAMP7-positive late endosomes and lysosomes (LELys) to forming phagocytic cups in a retinal pigment epithelial-derived cell line (RPE1). Protrudin-dependent phagocytic cup formation required SYT7, which promotes fusion of LELys with the plasma membrane. RPE1 cells perform phagocytosis of dead cells (efferocytosis) that expose phosphatidylserine (PS) on their surface. Exogenous addition of apoptotic bodies increased the formation of phagocytic cups, which further increased when Protrudin was overexpressed. Overexpression of Protrudin also led to elevated uptake of silica beads coated with PS. Conversely, Protrudin depletion or abrogation of ER-endosome contact sites inhibited phagocytic cup formation resulting in reduced uptake of PS-coated beads. Thus, the Protrudin pathway delivers endosomes to facilitate formation of the phagocytic cup important for PS-dependent phagocytosis.

ATPase activity of DFCP1 controls selective autophagy.

Cellular homeostasis is governed by removal of damaged organelles and protein aggregates by selective autophagy mediated by cargo adaptors such as p62/SQSTM1. Autophagosomes can assemble in specialized cup-shaped regions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) known as omegasomes, which are characterized by the presence of the ER protein DFCP1/ZFYVE1. The function of DFCP1 is unknown, as are the mechanisms of omegasome formation and constriction. Here, we demonstrate that DFCP1 is an ATPase that is activated by membrane binding and dimerizes in an ATP-dependent fashion. Whereas depletion of DFCP1 has a minor effect on bulk autophagic flux, DFCP1 is required to maintain the autophagic flux of p62 under both fed and starved conditions, and this is dependent on its ability to bind and hydrolyse ATP. While DFCP1 mutants defective in ATP binding or hydrolysis localize to forming omegasomes, these omegasomes fail to constrict properly in a size-dependent manner. Consequently, the release of nascent autophagosomes from large omegasomes is markedly delayed. While knockout of DFCP1 does not affect bulk autophagy, it inhibits selective autophagy, including aggrephagy, mitophagy and micronucleophagy. We conclude that DFCP1 mediates ATPase-driven constriction of large omegasomes to release autophagosomes for selective autophagy.

ER-endosome contacts master the ins and outs of secretory endosomes.

What defines whether an endosome follows the degradative pathway or fuses with the plasma membrane to release exosomes? In this issue of JCB, Fredrik Verweij and colleagues (2022. J. Cell Biol.https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202112032) demonstrate how secretory endosomes are guided by ER-endosome contacts to take a cellular detour and several identity transitions for efficient exosome release.

Cholesterol transfer via endoplasmic reticulum contacts mediates lysosome damage repair.

Lysosome integrity is essential for cell viability, and lesions in lysosome membranes are repaired by the ESCRT machinery. Here, we describe an additional mechanism for lysosome repair that is activated independently of ESCRT recruitment. Lipidomic analyses showed increases in lysosomal phosphatidylserine and cholesterol after damage. Electron microscopy demonstrated that lysosomal membrane damage is rapidly followed by the formation of contacts with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which depends on the ER proteins VAPA/B. The cholesterol-binding protein ORP1L was recruited to damaged lysosomes, accompanied by cholesterol accumulation by a mechanism that required VAP-ORP1L interactions. The PtdIns 4-kinase PI4K2A rapidly produced PtdIns4P on lysosomes upon damage, and knockout of PI4K2A inhibited damage-induced accumulation of ORP1L and cholesterol and led to the failure of lysosomal membrane repair. The cholesterol-PtdIns4P transporter OSBP was also recruited upon damage, and its depletion caused lysosomal accumulation of PtdIns4P and resulted in cell death. We conclude that ER contacts are activated on damaged lysosomes in parallel to ESCRTs to provide lipids for membrane repair, and that PtdIns4P generation and removal are central in this response.

ER as master regulator of membrane trafficking and organelle function.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which occupies a large portion of the cytoplasm, is the cell's main site for the biosynthesis of lipids and carbohydrate conjugates, and it is essential for folding, assembly, and biosynthetic transport of secreted proteins and integral membrane proteins. The discovery of abundant membrane contact sites (MCSs) between the ER and other membrane compartments has revealed that, in addition to its biosynthetic and secretory functions, the ER plays key roles in the regulation of organelle dynamics and functions. In this review, we will discuss how the ER regulates endosomes, lysosomes, autophagosomes, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the Golgi apparatus via MCSs. Such regulation occurs via lipid and Ca2+ transfer and also via control of in trans dephosphorylation reactions and organelle motility, positioning, fusion, and fission. The diverse controls of other organelles via MCSs manifest the ER as master regulator of organelle biology.

Biophysical and molecular mechanisms of ESCRT functions, and their implications for disease.

The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery evolved early in evolution to sculpt and cut cellular membranes. Consisting of three subcomplexes termed ESCRT-I, -II and -III, this machinery is recruited to various cellular locations to perform key steps in essential processes such as protein degradation, cell division, and membrane sealing. Here we review recent discoveries that have shed light on biophysical and molecular mechanisms of ESCRTs in endolysosomal protein degradation and nuclear envelope sealing, and we discuss how dysfunctional ESCRTs can lead to diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.

Protein crowding mediates membrane remodeling in upstream ESCRT-induced formation of intraluminal vesicles.

As part of the lysosomal degradation pathway, the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT-0 to -III/VPS4) sequester receptors at the endosome and simultaneously deform the membrane to generate intraluminal vesicles (ILVs). Whereas ESCRT-III/VPS4 have an established function in ILV formation, the role of upstream ESCRTs (0 to II) in membrane shape remodeling is not understood. Combining experimental measurements and electron microscopy analysis of ESCRT-III-depleted cells with a mathematical model, we show that upstream ESCRT-induced alteration of the Gaussian bending rigidity and their crowding in concert with the transmembrane cargo on the membrane induce membrane deformation and facilitate ILV formation: Upstream ESCRT-driven budding does not require ATP consumption as only a small energy barrier needs to be overcome. Our model predicts that ESCRTs do not become part of the ILV, but localize with a high density at the membrane neck, where the steep decline in the Gaussian curvature likely triggers ESCRT-III/VPS4 assembly to enable neck constriction and scission.

Protrudin-mediated ER-endosome contact sites promote MT1-MMP exocytosis and cell invasion.

Cancer cells break tissue barriers by use of small actin-rich membrane protrusions called invadopodia. Complete invadopodia maturation depends on protrusion outgrowth and the targeted delivery of the matrix metalloproteinase MT1-MMP via endosomal transport by mechanisms that are not known. Here, we show that the ER protein Protrudin orchestrates invadopodia maturation and function. Protrudin formed contact sites with MT1-MMP-positive endosomes that contained the RAB7-binding Kinesin-1 adaptor FYCO1, and depletion of RAB7, FYCO1, or Protrudin inhibited MT1-MMP-dependent extracellular matrix degradation and cancer cell invasion by preventing anterograde translocation and exocytosis of MT1-MMP. Moreover, when endosome translocation or exocytosis was inhibited by depletion of Protrudin or Synaptotagmin VII, respectively, invadopodia were unable to expand and elongate. Conversely, when Protrudin was overexpressed, noncancerous cells developed prominent invadopodia-like protrusions and showed increased matrix degradation and invasion. Thus, Protrudin-mediated ER-endosome contact sites promote cell invasion by facilitating translocation of MT1-MMP-laden endosomes to the plasma membrane, enabling both invadopodia outgrowth and MT1-MMP exocytosis.

Clathrin regulates Wnt/ß-catenin signaling by affecting Golgi to plasma membrane transport of transmembrane proteins.

The canonical Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway regulates cell proliferation in development and adult tissue homeostasis. Dysregulated signaling contributes to human diseases, in particular cancer. Growing evidence suggests a role for clathrin and/or endocytosis in the regulation of this pathway, but conflicting results exist and demand a deeper mechanistic understanding. We investigated the consequences of clathrin depletion on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in cell lines and found a pronounced reduction in ß-catenin protein levels, which affects the amount of nuclear ß-catenin and ß-catenin target gene expression. Although we found no evidence that clathrin affects ß-catenin levels via endocytosis or multivesicular endosome formation, an inhibition of protein transport through the biosynthetic pathway led to reduced levels of a Wnt co-receptor, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6), and cell adhesion molecules of the cadherin family, thereby affecting steady-state levels of ß-catenin. We conclude that clathrin impacts on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling by controlling exocytosis of transmembrane proteins, including cadherins and Wnt co-receptors that together control the membrane-bound and soluble pools of ß-catenin.

ESCRT-mediated phagophore sealing during mitophagy.

Inactivation of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery has been reported to cause autophagic defects, but the exact functions of ESCRT proteins in macroautophagy/autophagy remain incompletely understood. Using live-cell fluorescence microscopy we found that the filament-forming ESCRT-III subunit CHMP4B was recruited transiently to nascent autophagosomes during starvation-induced autophagy and mitophagy, with residence times of about 1 and 2 min, respectively. Correlative light microscopy and electron tomography revealed CHMP4B recruitment at a late step in mitophagosome formation. The autophagosomal dwell time of CHMP4B was strongly increased by depletion of the regulatory ESCRT-III subunit CHMP2A. Using a novel optogenetic closure assay we observed that depletion of CHMP2A inhibited phagophore sealing during mitophagy. Consistent with this, depletion of CHMP2A and other ESCRT-III subunits inhibited both PRKN/PARKIN-dependent and -independent mitophagy. We conclude that the ESCRT machinery mediates phagophore closure, and that this is essential for mitophagic flux.Abbreviations: BSA: bovine serum albumin; CHMP: chromatin-modifying protein; CLEM: correlative light and electron microscopy; EGFP: enhanced green fluorescent protein; ESCRT: endosomal sorting complex required for transport; HEPES: 2-[4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazin-1-yl]ethanesulfonic acid; HRP: horseradish peroxidase; ILV: intralumenal vesicle; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; LOV2: light oxygen voltage 2; MLS: mitochondrial localization sequence; MT-CO2: mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase II; O+A: oligomycin and antimycin A; PBS: phosphate-buffered saline; PIPES: piperazine-N,N-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid); PRKN/PARKIN: parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase; RAB: RAS-related in brain; SD: standard deviation; SEM: standard error of the mean; TOMM20: TOMM20: translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 20; VCL: vinculin; VPS4: vacuolar protein sorting protein 4; Zdk1: Zdark 1; TUBG: Tubulin gamma chain.

Concerted ESCRT and clathrin recruitment waves define the timing and morphology of intraluminal vesicle formation.

The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery mediates cargo sorting, membrane deformation and membrane scission on the surface of endosomes, generating intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) to degrade signaling receptors. By live-cell imaging of individual endosomes in human cells, we find that ESCRT proteins are recruited in a repetitive pattern: ESCRT-0 and -I show a gradual and linear recruitment and dissociation, whereas ESCRT-III and its regulatory ATPase VPS4 display fast and transient dynamics. Electron microscopy shows that ILVs are formed consecutively, starting immediately after endocytic uptake of cargo proteins and correlating with the repeated ESCRT recruitment waves, unraveling the timing of ILV formation. Clathrin, recruited by ESCRT-0, is required for timely ESCRT-0 dissociation, efficient ILV formation, correct ILV size and cargo degradation. Thus, cargo sorting and ILV formation occur by concerted, coordinated and repetitive recruitment waves of individual ESCRT subcomplexes and are controlled by clathrin.

Class III phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase controls epithelial integrity through endosomal LKB1 regulation.

The molecular mechanisms underlying the interdependence between intracellular trafficking and epithelial cell polarity are poorly understood. Here we show that inactivation of class III phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (CIII-PI3K), which produces phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PtdIns3P) on endosomes, disrupts epithelial organization. This is caused by dysregulation of endosomally localized Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1, also known as STK11), which shows delocalized and increased activity accompanied by dysplasia-like growth and invasive behaviour of cells provoked by JNK pathway activation. CIII-PI3K inactivation cooperates with RasV12 to promote tumour growth in vivo in an LKB1-dependent manner. Strikingly, co-depletion of LKB1 reverts these phenotypes and restores epithelial integrity. The endosomal, but not autophagic, function of CIII-PI3K controls polarity. We identify the CIII-PI3K effector, WD repeat and FYVE domain-containing 2 (WDFY2), as an LKB1 regulator in Drosophila tissues and human organoids. Thus, we define a CIII-PI3K-regulated endosomal signalling platform from which LKB1 directs epithelial polarity, the dysregulation of which endows LKB1 with tumour-promoting properties.

Differential Roles of AXIN1 and AXIN2 in Tankyrase Inhibitor-Induced Formation of Degradasomes and ß-Catenin Degradation.

Inhibition of the tankyrase enzymes (TNKS1 and TNKS2) has recently been shown to induce highly dynamic assemblies of ß-catenin destruction complex components known as degradasomes, which promote degradation of ß-catenin and reduced Wnt signaling activity in colorectal cancer cells. AXIN1 and AXIN2/Conductin, the rate-limiting factors for the stability and function of endogenous destruction complexes, are stabilized upon TNKS inhibition due to abrogated degradation of AXIN by the proteasome. Since the role of AXIN1 versus AXIN2 as scaffolding proteins in the Wnt signaling pathway still remains incompletely understood, we sought to elucidate their relative contribution in the formation of degradasomes, as these protein assemblies most likely represent the morphological and functional correlates of endogenous ß-catenin destruction complexes. In SW480 colorectal cancer cells treated with the tankyrase inhibitor (TNKSi) G007-LK we found that AXIN1 was not required for degradasome formation. In contrast, the formation of degradasomes as well as their capacity to degrade ß-catenin were considerably impaired in G007-LK-treated cells depleted of AXIN2. These findings give novel insights into differential functional roles of AXIN1 versus AXIN2 in the ß-catenin destruction complex.

Formation of Tankyrase Inhibitor-Induced Degradasomes Requires Proteasome Activity.

In canonical Wnt signaling, the protein levels of the key signaling mediator ß-catenin are under tight regulation by the multimeric destruction complex that mediates proteasomal degradation of ß-catenin. In colorectal cancer, destruction complex activity is often compromised due to mutations in the multifunctional scaffolding protein Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC), leading to a stabilization of ß-catenin. Recently, tankyrase inhibitors (TNKSi), a novel class of small molecule inhibitors, were shown to re-establish a functional destruction complex in APC-mutant cancer cell lines by stabilizing AXIN1/2, whose protein levels are usually kept low via poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation by the tankyrase enzymes (TNKS1/2). Surprisingly, we found that for the formation of the morphological correlates of destruction complexes, called degradasomes, functional proteasomes are required. In addition we found that AXIN2 is strongly upregulated after 6 h of TNKS inhibition. The proteasome inhibitor MG132 counteracted TNKSi-induced degradasome formation and AXIN2 stabilization, and this was accompanied by reduced transcription of AXIN2. Mechanistically we could implicate the transcription factor FoxM1 in this process, which was recently shown to be a transcriptional activator of AXIN2. We observed a substantial reduction in TNKSi-induced stabilization of AXIN2 after siRNA-mediated depletion of FoxM1 and found that proteasome inhibition reduced the active (phosphorylated) fraction of FoxM1. This can explain the decreased protein levels of AXIN2 after MG132 treatment. Our findings have implications for the design of in vitro studies on the destruction complex and for clinical applications of TNKSi.

The Ca2+ sensor protein swiprosin-1/EFhd2 is present in neurites and involved in kinesin-mediated transport in neurons.

Swiprosin-1/EFhd2 (EFhd2) is a cytoskeletal Ca2+ sensor protein strongly expressed in the brain. It has been shown to interact with mutant tau, which can promote neurodegeneration, but nothing is known about the physiological function of EFhd2 in the nervous system. To elucidate this question, we analyzed EFhd2-/-/lacZ reporter mice and showed that lacZ was strongly expressed in the cortex, the dentate gyrus, the CA1 and CA2 regions of the hippocampus, the thalamus, and the olfactory bulb. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting confirmed this pattern and revealed expression of EFhd2 during neuronal maturation. In cortical neurons, EFhd2 was detected in neurites marked by MAP2 and co-localized with pre- and post-synaptic markers. Approximately one third of EFhd2 associated with a biochemically isolated synaptosome preparation. There, EFhd2 was mostly confined to the cytosolic and plasma membrane fractions. Both synaptic endocytosis and exocytosis in primary hippocampal EFhd2-/- neurons were unaltered but transport of synaptophysin-GFP containing vesicles was enhanced in EFhd2-/- primary hippocampal neurons, and notably, EFhd2 inhibited kinesin mediated microtubule gliding. Therefore, we found that EFhd2 is a neuronal protein that interferes with kinesin-mediated transport.

different Roles for the axin interactions with the SAMP versus the second twenty amino acid repeat of adenomatous polyposis coli.

Wnt signalling is prevented by the proteosomal degradation of ß-catenin, which occurs in a destruction complex containing adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), APC-like (APCL), Axin and Axin2. Truncating mutations of the APC gene result in the constitutive stabilisation of ß-catenin and the initiation of colon cancer, although tumour cells tolerate the expression of wild-type APCL. Using the colocalisation of overexpressed Axin, APC and APCL constructs as a readout of interaction, we found that Axin interacted with the second twenty amino acid repeat (20R2) of APC and APCL. This interaction involved a domain adjacent to the C-terminal DIX domain of Axin. We identified serine residues within the 20R2 of APCL that were involved in Axin colocalisation, the phosphorylation of truncated APCL and the down-regulation of ß-catenin. Our results indicated that Axin, but not Axin2, displaced APC, but not APCL, from the cytoskeleton and stimulated its incorporation into bright cytoplasmic dots that others have recognised as ß-catenin destruction complexes. The SAMP repeats in APC interact with the N-terminal RGS domain of Axin. Our data showed that a short domain containing the first SAMP repeat in truncated APC was required to stimulate Axin oligomerisation. This was independent of Axin colocalisation with 20R2. Our data also suggested that the RGS domain exerted an internal inhibitory constraint on Axin oligomerisation. Considering our data and those from others, we discuss a working model whereby ß-catenin phosphorylation involves Axin and the 20R2 of APC or APCL and further processing of phospho-ß-catenin occurs upon the oligomerisation of Axin that is induced by binding the SAMP repeats in APC.

Functional comparison of human adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and APC-like in targeting beta-catenin for degradation.

Truncating mutations affect the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene in most cases of colon cancer, resulting in the stabilization of ß-catenin and uncontrolled cell proliferation. We show here that colon cancer cell lines express also the paralog APC-like (APCL or APC2). RNA interference revealed that it controls the level and/or the activity of ß-catenin, but it is less efficient and binds less well to ß-catenin than APC, thereby providing one explanation as to why the gene is not mutated in colon cancer. A further comparison indicates that APCL down-regulates the ß-catenin level despite the lack of the 15R region known to be important in APC. To understand this discrepancy, we performed immunoprecipitation experiments that revealed that phosphorylated ß-catenin displays a preference for binding to the 15 amino acid repeats (15R) rather than the first 20 amino acid repeat of APC. This suggests that the 15R region constitutes a gate connecting the steps of ß-catenin phosphorylation and subsequent ubiquitination/degradation. Using RNA interference and domain swapping experiments, we show that APCL benefits from the 15R of truncated APC to target ß-catenin for degradation, in a process likely involving heterodimerization of the two partners. Our data suggest that the functional complementation of APCL by APC constitutes a substantial facet of tumour development, because the truncating mutations of APC in colorectal tumours from familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients are almost always selected for the retention of at least one 15R.